Canadian lawmakers pass bill criminalizing LGBT conversion therapy
OTTAWA, June 22 (Reuters) – Canada’s House of Commons on Tuesday passed a bill criminalizing LGBT conversion therapy 263 to 63, handing a win to the minority ruling Liberal party which promised to ban the practice during an unveiling of its election platform in 2019. Aimed at changing a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, […]
Vatican condemned for ‘unprecedented interference’ in Italian bid to outlaw anti-LGBT+ hate
The Vatican has stated its opposition to an Italian bill that would help protect LGBT+ people from discrimination in an “unprecedented” move. Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s foreign minister, claimed that the proposed anti-discrimination law would breach a treaty between Italy and the Vatican that was signed almost a century ago, the Corriere della Sera […]
EU warns Hungary and Poland it will take action if they keep violating democratic standards
BRUSSELS — The European Union’s executive branch warned Hungary and Poland Tuesday that it will take action if they continue to violate the 27-nation bloc’s democratic standards, amid signs that both countries have little intention of changing their ways. Hungary and Poland have faced criticism in the EU for years over allegations that they are […]
At Shanghai Job Fair, Advocates Call for More LGBT Inclusion
SHANGHAI — Lauren Qiang used to live a double life: She pretended to be straight at home but wasn’t worried about her sexual orientation while at work. But after years of fears about being cut off from her family, the 27-year-old said she finally opened up to her parents after gaining financial independence. And, unlike […]
‘We’re not hiding’: Gay and lesbian Russians say a cultural shift is underway
When Lisa Androshina threw her first lesbian party in Moscow in 2017, she had low expectations. “We wanted to just gather with our friends and just listen to cool music,” Androshina, 34, told NBC News. “We didn’t plan to do anything serious.” She booked a bar that she said was often empty and invited her […]
Trans men ‘let down’ and in ‘extreme distress’ as NHS quietly stops life-changing penis surgery
Finlay Games is a trans man who, as part of his transition, had a series of operations to construct a penis, which is known as phalloplasty. “I am a functioning man precisely because of this surgery,” Finlay says. “I’ve got my own business. I’ve graduated, I’ve written a book, and all of these things are […]
Carl Nassib Is The First Active NFL Player To Come Out As Gay
Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib came out in a personal Instagram post on Monday, saying he has “agonized over this moment for the last 15 years.” “I just want to take a quick moment to say that I’m gay,” Nassib said in an Instagram video he posted on his verified Instagram account. “I’ve been meaning […]
Israel’s Foreign Ministry waves LGBTQ Pride flag for first time
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid instructed his ministry to raise an LGBT pride flag outside its Jerusalem headquarters in honor of Pride Month for the first time on Monday. The Foreign Ministry and its workers are leading a message of tolerance, brotherhood and freedom,” he tweeted. Deputy Foreign Minister Idan Roll (Yesh Atid), who is gay, […]
Nigerian teenager launches an LGBT-inclusive fashion brand
Daniel Kunke, a 19-year old Nigerian college student, speaks about why he decided to start an LGBT-inclusive clothing brand. In an interview with NoStringsNG, the teenager, who is currently studying mass communications at Yaba College of Technology in Lagos, says his aim is to ensure that everyone is “equally represented” by making sure that “there’s something […]
Stonewall Inn to pour Bud Light down the drain in Anheuser-Busch protest
The owners of the Stonewall Inn in New York say they will not serve some beers at the famous LGBTQ+ bar during Pride weekend – and will ceremonially pour some down a drain – to protest against manufacturer Anheuser-Busch’s political contributions to some politicians who have supported anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. In June 1969, at an earlier […]
V.A. Plans to Offer Gender-Affirming Surgeries for Transgender Veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to offer gender confirmation surgery to transgender veterans, Denis McDonough, the secretary of veterans affairs, announced over the weekend at a Pride event in Orlando, Fla., in a major shift in available care for former service members. “This process will require changing V.A.’s regulations and establishing policy that will […]
Rizal birthday becomes celebration of LGBTQ freedoms in Baguio
The pedestrian lane in front of Baguio’s Rizal Park was repainted last week with all the colors of the rainbow, in time for the celebration of a different kind of freedom on Saturday, the 160th birthday of national hero Jose Rizal. A small group of costumed lesbians, bisexuals, gays, transgenders, and queers (LGBTQR) gathered across […]
Intersex youth’s search for acceptance continues
The son of a poor shoemaker in Lahore, 22-year-old Muhammad Waqas continues to fight the stigma surrounding his intersex condition. The youth was reportedly born with diphallia, a rare genetic condition. The variation in the youth’s physical characteristics at birth made him an intersex individual. Owing to the social stigma surrounding the uncommon genitalia, people […]
Turkey’s ruling coalition demonises LGBT communities to keep support, weaken opposition
Turkey’s ruling government is agitating against the country’s LGBT community in a bid to rebuild polarise society further for political gain, researcher Tunay Altay wrote in Bianet on Saturday. Altay uses the authorities’ rhetorical and police responses to the protests at Bogazici University that began in January to illustrate how the state is fostering animosity […]
Warsaw Gay Pride Parade Back After Backlash, Pandemic
The largest gay pride parade in central Europe took place again in Warsaw on Saturday for the first time in two years after a pandemic-induced break — and amid a backlash in Poland and Hungary against LGBT rights. The year’s Equality Parade came 20 years since the event was first held in the Polish capital. […]
Euro 2020: Proposal to illuminate Munich arena in LGBT+ colors for visit of Hungary
Ahead of Germany’s third Euro 2020 group game against Hungary in Munich on Wednesday, city councilors in the Bavarian capital have put forward a motion to have the arena illuminated in rainbow colors. “[Munich] supports diversity, tolerance and genuine equality in sport and in society,” reads the joint motion from all six factions on Munich’s […]
KGH doctor ‘gives away’ baby with intersex traits to transgender group
A doctor in King George Hospital here has allegedly given away a newborn baby with intersex traits to a group of transgender people. The incident reportedly happened sometime in the third week of May and the baby is now allegedly in the custody of a Nayak from the Hijra Jamaat. Gopi Shankar, southern regional representative […]
Council of Europe Adopts Resolutions Protecting LGBTI People
The Congress of the Council of Europe adopted two resolutions protecting the LGBTI community from discrimination and hatred at its 40th Session on Wednesday. The resolutions followed two independent reports–a report that drew attention to the situation of the LGBTI community, claiming that the rights of LGBTI persons were increasingly being politicized and challenged through […]
Case of murdered Honduran trans woman could set legal precedent in region
An international court is examining whether the Honduran government was complicit in the killing of Vicky Hernández, a 26-year-old trans woman fatally shot on the night of the country’s 2009 coup d’état. Why it matters: Legal advocates say the case could set a legal precedent across Latin America, which has the world’s highest concentration of […]
Two Trans Women Elected to Congress for First Time in Mexico’s History
For the first time in the country’s history, two trans women have been elected to Congress in Mexico. Maria Clemente Garcia and Salma Luevano are members of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s MORENA party and will be seated in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Mexico’s Congress. Both women have long histories of […]
Pride Exhibit Debuts on White House Ground Floor
The White House partnered with the Smithsonian Institution for an exhibit that displays information on LGBTQ+ history and features photos, documents, and memorabilia. The exhibit is on the Ground Floor Corridor of the presidential residence. Descriptions of queer events include the Stonewall Rebellion and the AIDS epidemic, and LGBTQ+ figures like Harvey Milk and Marsha […]
The Unorthodox Priest Leading Poland’s Fight for LGBTQ Rights
This year, like every year for the past 20, Szymon Niemiec will wear a rainbow-colored stole at the Equality Parade in the Polish capital of Warsaw on June 19. “I won’t have a banner because I will be leading the entire parade. I can’t keep my hands full,” says Niemiec. The 43-year-old has seemingly contradictory […]
South Africa’s patchwork treatment of refugees and asylum seekers shows much to be done to ensure human rights for all
World Refugee Day is commemorated each year on 20 June to raise awareness of the plight of refugees around the world and of efforts to protect their human rights. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), as of March 2021, South Africa hosted 266,946 persons of concern, including refugees, asylum seekers, and stateless persons. The […]
Supreme Court sides with Catholic adoption agency that refuses to work with LGBT couples
The Supreme Court on Thursday delivered a unanimous defeat to LGBT couples in a high-profile case over whether Philadelphia could refuse to contract with a Roman Catholic adoption agency that says its religious beliefs prevent it from working with same-sex foster parents. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in an opinion for a majority of the […]
Irish LGBT community outraged after homophobic ‘straight pride’ posters appear in Waterford
A number of homophobic posters have appeared in Waterford recently, sparking anger within Irish LGBT communities. The posters, which were first spotted at the start of week, display the words ‘Straight Pride’, and feature a photo of a heterosexual married couple. The caption also reads: “It’s natural, it’s worked for thousands of years, and you […]
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says city will support Gay Games, and calls lawmaker’s hate-filled outburst ‘unnecessarily divisive’
Hong Kong’s leader has accused several pro-establishment lawmakers of dividing society and inciting hatred, after one called next year’s Gay Games “disgraceful” and the revenue it would bring to the city “dirty money”. Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said on Tuesday that the quadrennial event promoted inclusiveness and diversity, and her government was prepared […]
Mexico’s Wild Ride to Marriage Equality
Twenty of Mexico’s 31 states and the federal capital Mexico City have marriage equality and same-sex couples can marry in the other 11 states if they go to a federal judge and get a personalized injunction (amparo), a process that is time-consuming and requires paying a lawyer for help. The judge cannot refuse the amparo. […]
How lockdown changed the coming out experience for LGBT people
Until last year, Alayna Fender was a ‘confirmed bisexual’ – a slogan she used on merch for her Youtube channel MissFenderr after coming out to her thousands of subscribers in 2015. She was engaged to a man and with his support, she explored relationships with women and built a community of LGBT+ friends both online […]
Exclusive-Hungary could be sanctioned over anti-LGBT+ law, warns EU equality chief
The EU could impose funding restrictions on Hungary over legislation that bans the dissemination in schools of content deemed to promote homosexuality and gender change, the bloc’s equality chief told the Thomson Reuters Foundation on Tuesday. Speaking shortly before Hungary’s parliament approved the ban, European Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli said Brussels was prepared to […]
I’m a gay, Christian pediatrician and have no doubt: Jesus would reject anti-trans laws
“What would Jesus do?” This slogan has been used by Christians for decades, serving as a reminder to act in the way Jesus did (and would today) by showing love, mercy, compassion and kindness. When I was a child, this phrase was meaningful to me as I struggled to reconcile my Christianity with my sexuality. […]